A coalition of non-governmental organisations known as Coalition of Patriotic Non-Governmental Organisations has alleged that security alerts issued by the United States and the United Kingdom and other countries are a ploy to destabilise Nigeria ahead of the general election in 2023.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, national coordinator of Coalition for Peace in Nigeria, COPIN, Pharmacist Emeka Akwuobi, who spoke for the group, urged Nigerians to remain calm and rise above fear.
He said, “Without prejudice to time-honoured social constructs, occasioned by persuasions, we hasten to state that the so-called security advisories by the US and UK governments, are distractive in form, and destabilising in content.
“In what has become a recurring decimal, the US has continued to predict negative outcomes for Nigeria of which the most telling was the collapse – if you like, the failure of the Nigerian-State – ahead of the 2015 general elections. More than seven years later, their prognosis has fallen flat on its feeble feet.
“Similarly, aligned interests in America predicted that Africa, Nigeria inclusive, will be littered with corpses at the outbreak of COVID-19, but history and medical records show that the outcome has been the opposite with dire consequences for America and her allies. For the avoidance of doubt, the US is preparing for elections, and is customary with the so-called ‘world police’, nations considered not to be in tune with her aggressive disposition, are often whipped into line.”
He also recalled that security agencies like the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigeria Immigration Service had all issued the same alerts in the past.
“It is heart-warming to note that our security services- the DSS, Nigeria Immigration Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps – have all issued security advisories of plans by terrorists targeting soft targets in the country.
“In April, the DSS warned Nigerians of planned attacks but has gone ahead to destabilise terror cells and their networks in Nigeria leading to arrests in Kogi, Kano, Lagos and in the South Eastern part of the country. If our security architecture has issued security alerts and has braced up in confronting our common enemy and winning, why should we now believe more a security advisory by Americans to their people?
“In the face of this reality, we urge our fellow citizens to see this as a time to rise above fear, and anxiety, in defence of our fatherland.”
The coalition of the NGOs includes Coalition for Peace in Nigeria, COPIN, Coalition of Nigerians for National Sovereignty and Unity, CONNSU, Save Nigeria Movement, SNM, Celebrities United for Peace, CUP, and Citizens Watch Advocacy Initiative, CWAI.
